Cold Rainy Weekend

Hey Y'all,

So the weather for this weekend is cold, wet, and windy all throughout the state. I have checked just about every forecast my iPhone can pick up and it just doesn't look too good. I usually check every app I can until I find one that shows the best weather possible then I somehow convince myself that it's more creditable then the rest, but this weekend just looks grim. On the upside I have found that trout fishing in the rain can be very productive. One the one side rarely do trout ever bite dry flies in the rain so your best bet is nymphing. Also the water from the rain tends to warm up the rivers and streams as the rain water warms as it runs off into the streams. This slightly warmer water wakes the fish up in my experience and makes nymph fishing great. Trout will often feed off the midges that fail to hatch during the rain.

As for me, I am keeping inside this weekend. Camping in the rain is something that I do when something has gone terribly wrong in my weekend planing. I usually only fish in the rain if the weather is calling for above 45-50 at the low. Right now I am up at my lake house with a bucket full of minnows, loaded boat, my fiancé, and my dog coal hoping and praying for a clear morning to do some crappie fishing. The freezer is getting low and crappie are the filet mignon of the lake. I like to troll on the lake for crappie in my Tracker 175 when I take a weekend off from the stream, which is quite rare.

Well to everyone good luck on the trout streams or wherever your line may lay. For me, I will have to wait until next weekend to strap on the waders and get in the water. If your heading up to Wilson Creek don't forget to check out Betsey's Old Country Store and also look up Pieroway Rod Company up in Canada. Those things are built all by hand and are the only rods I fly fish with. You can't beat them!!


Take it Easy and Tight Lines,

Mike Daniels

Wilson Creek Dry Fly Time

Hey Everybody!!


Mike Daniels (aka RedRoverMike) here after a long cold weekend up in the hills on Wilson Creek. The fishing friday was horrible as i only managed to catch two fish in two hours. I was cold, it was late in the day, and on top of that I was starving. I went back, got some food at the campsite, and thought about why the fish were so held up for that evening. Everyone i talked to this weekend was only catching two or three in a day and most everybody was using eggs or those overly large stonefly imitations. Saturday I awoke early and was on the stream when the fog was just lifting off the water. Baffled from the day before, I decided to set out trying just about everything I could think of in my flybox. I started off fishing midges from large stimulators and caught one fish in an hour. Around 10:00 am it was like someone flipped a switch on the fish and although I wasn't catching them right away they began hitting small tiny sulphurs everywhere on the water. I switched to a size 20 sulphur spinner with just a little bit of floatant power and began casting in a way that caused it to almost smacked the water. As soon as it hit the water the brook trout would come up and sip it in. I caught 24 fish Saturday and 31 Sunday, all but two caught on dry flies. All the fish I caught were brook and brown trout. Although I saw a ton of rainbows I just think the water was too cold for them. During the middle of the day the water temp was at 45 degrees. The flooding from the snow melt as all but ended and the water levels are about normal. If you have fished Wilson Creek before be ready to find yourself a few new spots because the topography of the river has changed drastically since the post winter floods.

Just a few tips, when fishing these tiny dry flies often times it is imposible to look at the flies in the hatch and figure out what exactly they are. I used tiny sulphurs because in the light they looked like tiny yellow mayflies, but in all reality just about any small tiny mayfly dryfly pattern would have worked. Trout do not have the selective eyes that some people claim them to have. When a fly is moving past a trout they typically judge it on size and shape first and foremost. In my personal opinion color only has a major role in slow water or underwater. Between fast water and light refracting off the surface dry fly color isnt important. There were several fish I cought this weekend on size 22 black and white mayflies. The point I am trying to make is to just have a good time and don't worry too much about matching the hatch exactly. 

Anyway yall, tight lines, good luck, and let me know if you have any questions. I am always happy to help out. Don't forget to check out Peiroway Rod Company up in Canada. They make some great stuff and they are the only rods I use. Build to last and can handl just about anything you can dish out. Basically they are the Yeti Cooler of fly rods. (THEY AREN'T BEAR PROOF THOUGH") Also don't forget to check out Betsey's Ol Country Store up in the DH on Wilson Creek. Right on the river, great place to camp and Bruce sells just about anything you could need for a camping trip. He also has an awesome HOTDOG STAND. Nathen's Hotdogs, chili, onions, coleslaw, and mustard... Very Good $3 each and if your in the mood for something old school he has every soda in a glass bottle that I can think of. Check it out on Facebook!!! Just google Betsey's Ol Country Store only 2 and a half hours from Charlotte. 

Take it easy and Tight Lines!!

Welcome!

Hey Guys,

Welcome to FlyFishNorthCarolina!!! My name is Mike Daniels (Aka RedRoverMike). I am an avid fly fisherman based out of Matthews NC. I have had the opportunity to fish all over the state. While I specialize in catching fish on the fly this site will be about all my fishing experiences from here on out. Although I fish trout streams most of the year I can be found fishing just about anywhere depending on the time of the year. My goal with this site is to educate people about fishing through my own experiences. I will be posting everything from gear reviews to places to stay when you go fishing. If there is ever anything that you want me to dedicate a weekend to please let me know. I am always looking for new spots to try out and new places to go.

Take it Easy and Tight Lines,

Mike